I'll be honest, I didn't think the additional chapters would've gone over as well as they have but you guys proved me wrong. I think this is my personal favorite chapter for all the different angles we get of Charlie's grief and Alastor's uneasiness about his relationship with Charlie. Things are going to start taking on darker themes here. Alcohol abuse is one of them so fair warning to those who might be or know someone who is struggling with it.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, for those who celebrate. I'll be back after the new year!
Anyways onto the story...
Dawn crept through Charlie's window, painting shadows across the bed where the Radio Demon lay awake, still holding Hell's princess. He hadn't slept - couldn't sleep, really - too preoccupied with analyzing every moment that had led him here. Charlie was curled against his chest, her face peaceful for the first time in weeks, though tear tracks still stained her cheeks.
Her words from the night before echoed in his mind: "I love you, Al." Even drunk, the confession had shaken him. Love wasn't something creatures like him were meant to receive, let alone reciprocate. And yet...
Charlie stirred, her face scrunching up as consciousness began to return. Alastor watched with mild amusement as she slowly opened her eyes, only to be followed by shutting them quickly in pain.
"Oh saints above," she groaned, pressing her face into his chest. "Why is everything so bright?"
"That would be the hangover, my dear," Alastor said, his voice deliberately quieter than usual.
Charlie froze. Slowly, she tilted her head up, squinting at him. "Al?"
"Good morning!"
She winced at his slightly raised voice. "Why are you... did we...?" Her eyes widened as fragments of the previous night returned. "Oh no. Oh no no no..."
"Now, now, nothing untoward occurred," Alastor assured her, carefully extracting himself from her grip. "You simply required assistance getting home after quite an impressive drinking session."
Charlie sat up, immediately regretting the motion as the room spun. "Did I... did I say anything...?"
"Many things, in fact!" Alastor's grin widened as Charlie groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Though perhaps we should focus on getting you functional before discussing any late-night confessions."
"Kill me now."
"I'm afraid that's not an option, my dear. Though I suspect you're feeling rather close to death at the moment."
Charlie peeked through her fingers at him. "Why are you enjoying this so much?"
"Entertainment value, naturally!" But his smile softened as he added, "Besides, this is preferable to... previous states of mind."
Understanding crossed Charlie's features. "Al, about last night... I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I know you don't like the closeness and I basically forced you to-"
"Think nothing of it," he interrupted, standing and straightening his jacket. "Now, shall I have something sent up for your hangover?"
"I don't think I could eat anything right now."
"Nonsense! I know just the thing." Alastor snapped his fingers and disappeared, leaving Charlie in confusion. The princess lay back down with a groan, but suddenly he reappeared, tray in hand. Charlie looked at him in confusion as he set down the platter on her lap.
"What you need my dear is comfort food, something to soak up all that alcohol still in your system!"
Charlie grimaced at Alastor's jovial voice but still watched him. The Radio Demon lifted the lid off the tray, revealing a bowl of Alastor's famous jambalaya. The smell permeated around the room, and Charlie felt sick, turning a shade of green.
"Thanks, Al, but I really don't think I could eat right-" Charlie fought back an involuntary gag, "Eat right now."
Alastor shook his head, his smile widening, "I insist! Nothing like traditional Creole cuisine to start the day!"
Alastor turned away from her briefly and straightened out his clothes. When he turned back he could see Charlie hadn't moved a muscle.
"I have some business to attend to today, so I am afraid I won't be around this afternoon."
"You're leaving?" Charlie's voice held a note of panic that made Alastor pause.
"Only for a few hours, my dear. I'll return by evening."
"Right. Of course." Charlie tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace.
"Is something wrong with me leaving?"
"No, I'm fine. Totally fine," Charlie quickly reassured. "Just... hung over. You should go do your... whatever it is you've gotta do."
Alastor studied her for a moment before saying, "Promise me you won't do anything rash while I'm gone?"
"Like what?"
"Like attempting to drown your sorrows at Husker's bar or burying yourself in work, perhaps?"
Charlie looked away. "I won't."
"Charlie."
"I promise, okay? No drinking, no work. Just... rest."
Alastor wasn't entirely convinced, but before he could press further, Nifty burst into the room.
"Hi Alastor, hi Charlie!" she announced at top volume, making Charlie clutch her head with a groan. Nifty's eye widened as she took in Charlie's hungover state and the untouched jambalaya. "Oh! Oh no, are you sick? Should I get a bucket? Clean the bathroom? Change the sheets? Sometimes when Angel's hungover he-"
"Nifty, dear," Alastor interrupted smoothly, noting Charlie's increasingly green complexion. "Our princess requires some... delicate attention today."
Nifty tilted her head, then gasped in understanding. "Oh! Like when you get all weird after really big broadcasts and need everything quiet and dark! I can do that!" She immediately began zipping around the room, closing curtains and adjusting pillows, her movements somehow both frantic and precise.
Charlie watched with a mix of amusement and nausea. "Al, you don't have to-"
"I insist," he said softly. He then turned to Nifty, "Please ensure she rests today. No work, no visitors, unless it's her dear old dad, and..." his smile tightened slightly, "no alcohol."
"I'll take care of everything!" Nifty promised, already organizing the bedside table. "We'll have a quiet girls' day! I can tell you about the time I found Al stress-cleaning after that first time you hugged him-"
"And that's my cue to leave," Alastor announced, though his static crackled with what might have been embarrassment. "Do try to rest, my dear."
Cannibal Town buzzed with its usual macabre energy as Alastor materialized outside Rosie's Emporium. His mind was too full of Charlie's drunken confessions and the way she'd curled against him in her sleep. His eternal smile felt strained, even to him. He'd spent much of the time he had to himself pacing, static crackling violently as he tried to make sense of the unfamiliar tightness in his chest whenever he thought of Charlie's tears.
The bell chimed as he entered, and Rosie looked up from her ledger.
"Well, well," she drawled, taking in his slightly disheveled appearance. "You look absolutely dreadful, dear."
"Your flattery knows no bounds, my dear friend." He tried to inject his usual enthusiasm but his static betrayed his exhaustion.
Rosie studied him for a long moment before setting aside her work. "Come. You look like you need something stronger than tea."
As they settled into their usual chairs in her private parlor, Alastor's shadows writhed anxiously around him. Rosie poured them each a generous measure of blood-red wine, watching as her old friend's smile twitched and flickered - a sure sign of his distress.
"I need to kill something," Alastor announced suddenly. "Something big. Preferably something that will scream a lot."
"Do you now?" Rosie's smile was knowing. "And would that solve whatever has you looking like you've seen an angel?"
"Most likely it would. It would be better than..." he gestured vaguely, static increasing, "this."
"And what exactly is 'this'?"
Alastor downed his wine in one go. "I don't know. That's the problem. I don't... I can't..." His static crackled sharply in frustration.
"Can't what, dear?"
"I can't stop thinking about her!" The words burst out with a burst of radio interference. "Every time she cries, something in my chest... hurts. When she smiles - really smiles, not those broken smiles that do more to show her true pain rather than not - everything gets brighter. I stayed in her bed last night, Rosie. I held her while she slept. ME! The Radio Demon, playing nursemaid to a grieving princess!"
Rosie refilled his glass, her expression softening. "And this bothers you because...?"
"Because I'm supposed to be better than this! I'm supposed to be feared, not... not..." He stood abruptly, pacing. "Do you know what they're saying in the papers? That I've gone soft. That the princess has tamed the great Radio Demon. My reputation-"
"Oh, spare me the reputation speech," Rosie interrupted. "We both know that's not what's really eating at you."
Alastor glared at her, the static that surrounded him grew and grew until it all vanished. The Radio Demon slumped back into his chair with a sigh.
"She told me she loves me," he told her in a subdued voice.
"Ah, there it is." Rosie leaned forward. "And how did that make you feel?"
"Terrified," Alastor admitted quietly, slumping back into his chair. "She was drunk, but... the way she said it. It was like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like I was someone worthy of..."
"Of love?"
His static hummed miserably. "I don't know how to love, Rosie. I've never wanted to. Love is weakness, vulnerability, everything I've spent decades avoiding."
"And yet here you are, fretting over Charlie's broken heart."
"She deserves better. She had someone who could be there for her. Someone who can feel more than one emotion and reciprocate her love. Someone who knows how to comfort and care and..." he gestured helplessly, "act without violence being their first solution to everything."
"Is violence your first thought with her?"
"Of course not! I would never-" He stopped, catching Rosie's triumphant smile. "Oh, don't look at me like that."
"Like what? Like someone who's watching their oldest friend finally realize he's capable of more than just carnage?"
"I'm not. I'm a monster, Rosie. A creature of blood and static and suffering. I feed on fear and delight in torture. I'm not..." His voice dropped to barely a whisper. "I'm not good for her."
"And yet you stayed with her all night, holding her while she cried. You've watched over her for weeks, helping her through her grief. You've been gentle, patient..." Rosie's smile widened. "Almost loving, one might say."
"Stop."
"Why? Because it's true? Because you're terrified that maybe, just maybe, you're not as incapable of love as you've always claimed?"
Alastor's shadows lashed out, knocking over a vase. Rosie didn't flinch.
"What if I ruin her?" he asked, voice raw. "What if I make everything worse? She's already so broken from losing her lady lover. What if I... what if I break her completely?"
"Or what if you help her heal?" Rosie stood, moving to place a hand on his shoulder. "What if you're exactly what she needs? You'll never hold a candle to Vaggie but what if you can fill the void left behind? Be someone she could love and be the one to make her feel loved."
"I don't know how."
"Yes, you do. You've been doing it already. Every time you hold her through a nightmare, every time you make her smile... that's love, dear. It might not look like the love in songs or poetry, but it's love all the same."
Alastor stared into his wine glass, his reflection showing his smile had vanished completely. "I'm afraid, Rosie."
"Good." At his surprised look, she explained, "Fear means you care enough to worry about getting it wrong. Fear means it matters."
"What do I do?"
"You go back to her and you keep trying. You let yourself feel these things, terrifying as they are." She squeezed his shoulder. "And you allow yourself to think that maybe, just maybe, you're more capable of love than you ever thought."
"And my reputation?"
"Will survive. Perhaps even grow - after all, what's more terrifying than a demon who can love so deeply they'd tear apart Heaven itself to protect that love?"
Alastor was quiet for a long moment, radio static humming softly in the silence. "I think... I think I might already..."
"Love her?"
"Yes." The admission felt like surrendering and victory all at once.
"Good." Rosie sat back, satisfied. "The Radio Demon, falling in love. How deliciously scandalous."
"If you breathe a word of this-"
"Your secret is safe with me, dear." She smirked. "Though I do expect an invitation to the wedding."
For once, Alastor didn't protest the suggestion. He simply finished his wine and stood, straightening his jacket. His smile, when it returned, felt more genuine.
"Thank you, Rosie."
"Any time, dear. Now go. Your princess needs you as much as you need her."
As Alastor left the shop, his mind was clearer. He still didn't understand all these feelings, still unsure that he could be what Charlie needed right now. But Rosie was right, perhaps trying was enough. Perhaps love didn't need to look like poetry and flowers - perhaps it could look like blood, static, and shadows, as long as those shadows were wrapped protectively around the one who needed them most.
"NOW TAKE YOUR FRIENDS AND GO HOME!" Lucifer yelled. "Please," he added with a smile.
Lute initially recoiled in fear at the king of hell but her stoicism took hold. Lucifer smiled as she grabbed Adam's halo and called for the exorcists to retreat. Charlie watched the scene unfold and sent a small smile towards her dad. They had won!
"Oh boy did that feel good," Lucifer told the group.
"Ya know I could also make ya feel good," Angel moaned at Lucifer.
Charlie couldn't help but stifle a laugh as Lucifer stuttered in response to Angel's antics. Little did she know behind her, Lute was glaring at her. Slowly the angel raised her sword, aiming it at Charlie's back. Vaggie turned back to get one last triumphant look at the defeated Lute only for her eye to go wide.
"Charlie!" Vaggie yelled.
Before Charlie could turn around, Vaggie put herself between her and the incoming angelic weapon. It collided with Vaggie's chest with a sickening sound, the angel flying back with force. Lute, satisfied with the unintended victim of her attack, left without another word.
"Vaggie!" Charlie screamed in horror.
The princess was at Vaggie's side in an instant. Charlie collected Vaggie in her arms and cradled her, tears starting to flow freely. Lucifer was quick to fall at his daughter's side, unsure of what to do.
Vaggie fluttered her eye open and looked up towards Charlie. She frowned at the sight of Charlie in tears and weakly lifted her hand up to her cheek to brush them away. Charlie leaned into the touch, her tears, though, did not stop. Slowly, the rest of the hotel's crew gathered around the Morningstars, all in shock at what transpired.
"Vaggie," Charlie cried.
"Shh," Vaggie whispered, her voice weak. "It's okay."
"You should've pushed me out of the way, you didn't-"
"Wasn't enough… time. Had to…" Vaggie cut her off through strained breaths.
"Dad do something!" Charlie yelled at her father.
"Charlie I… I don't- I-"
"Someone help her, please!" Charlie called out in anguish.
"Charlie…" Vaggie whispered, her eye starting to slowly close.
"Vaggie don't go."
Vaggie ignored her, using what little strength she had left lifted her head up and pressed a ghost of kiss to Charlie's lips.
"I love you…" Vaggie said with a smile.
"Vaggie I- please don't go."
Vaggie's smile never faltered, her body going limp in Charlie's arms. Her eye closed for the last time and drew her last breath.
"Vaggie!"
She didn't respond even as Charlie shook her.
"Vaggie! Vaggie! Vag-"
"Charlie!" her father yelled, placing a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "She's gone."
Charlie wailed and pressed her head into Lucifer's shoulder. Sobs rocked her body, Lucifer unsure of what to do as Charlie broke apart. Charlie clutched Vaggie tighter, ignoring the fact that her blood now stained the demoness' hands. Angel looked away from the scene, Cherri and Husk pulling him close as a singular tear fell from his eye. Nifty looked on in shock, unsure of what to do. She rushed over to Charlie's back and pressed her body into her, hoping Charlie would stop.
"Vaggie!" she cried into her father's shirt.
"Vaggie!" Charlie shouted into the dark room, tears flowing freely from her eyes.
The princess looked around, reality catching up with her once again. Her heart sank and hugged her knees as she realized she was alone.
"Al?" she called out, hoping at least his shadow was still here.
Alastor nor his shadow answered; she truly was all alone. Charlie sighed and got up from her bed. The princess crept out into the hallway, the bright lights nearly blinding her. Charlie looked up at a nearby clock and groaned upon seeing that it was well into the afternoon. She hoped Alastor was back already; she needed him right now.
"Charlie!"
Charlie turned around to see her father walking up to her.
"Hey Dad," Charlie greeted.
Lucifer hugged her tight, then pulled back to examine her face. "Another nightmare?"
"Just... memories." Charlie tried to smile but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Where's your Radio Demon? Thought he was keeping watch over you."
Something in his tone made Charlie tense. "Al had business to attend to."
"Ah yes, 'business.' More important than watching over my grieving daughter, apparently." Lucifer's smile had an edge to it. "Tell me, dear, do you really think it's wise to become so dependent on someone like him?"
"Dad-"
"I mean really he is a demon after all, one of the worst at that. I don't think-"
"Dad stop!" Charlie yelled cutting Lucifer off. "You can't be serious, after everything I'd like to think you stop being such an asshole towards him. You don't get to suddenly act like a concerned father now. Not when you've been so absent with me these past couple of weeks."
"Charlie I-"
"Alastor has been there for me when I needed someone the most. Sure he's emotionally distant and most likely a psychopath but he tries, more than you at least."
"Charlie-"
"You don't understand why I rely on him, do you? Where were you when I needed you, where was Mom when I needed her? The both of you have been out of my life for so long that I felt alone like no one cared about me. Vaggie was the first, if she wasn't there for me then I don't know what I would've done without her and Alastor was the second. Sure he treated the hotel like it was a plaything but he tried and helped make my dreams come true.
Ever since Vaggie died he has been there for me. Alastor, who mind you lets no one touch him, has let me cry on his shoulder countless times. You pushed your duties as a father to him and guess what, he's been there to comfort me when I needed YOU!"
"Charlie he's a monster."
"To you maybe… but to me, he's…" she paused.
Lucifer raised an eyebrow at this.
"I don't know what he is to me," Charlie finally said. "But I trust him with my life. Just be happy that he's there for me."
Lucifer sighed, "Charlie I just don't want you to get hurt again. He can't be enough for you, he can't fix this."
"Neither can you," Charlie responded bluntly.
"I- I don't know how to help you…"
"Neither does he! But he tried anyway. He's still trying." Charlie wiped at her eyes angrily as tears began to form. "And now you're what? Jealous that I can rely on him but not you? Mad that someone else is being the support you never learned to be?"
"That's not-"
"It is, Dad. Stop lying to yourself… and to me," Charlie added quietly.
A heavy silence fell between them. Lucifer's smile had faltered completely, tears pricked at his eyes.
"I don't know how to fix this," he admitted quietly. "Any of it. I don't know how to help you heal or... or be what you need."
"Well maybe instead of insulting Alastor every chance you get, you should watch him and learn how to be there for somebody."
Charlie brushed past him, leaving Lucifer alone in the hallway. Tears stung at her eyes as she descended towards the lobby. She didn't want to be mad with her father but she also knew she couldn't rely on him like she could Alastor. How did she feel about him anyway?
It was just all too much for Charlie to handle right now. When she made it to the lobby her first instinct was to collapse on Husk's bar. The cat demon eyed the princess with slight concern and sighed.
"Ugh, Husk did Alastor come back yet?' Charlie asked with a groan.
"Not yet."
"What's wrong Charlie?" Angel asked, sitting on a stool.
"Yeah princess, thought you'd be ready to take on the day," Cherri added as she took her own seat.
"I just- I need… I don't know…"
"Sounds like your head is all messed up," Husk said sliding drinks toward Angel and Cherri.
"I need Alastor right now, he's the only one who understands me," Charlie whimpered.
"I'd thought I never see the day. Seems like the boss has really got to ya huh?" Husk asked.
"I just- I can't do it. I can't live without her and it feels like my walls are closing in, he's the only one who'll listen to me, he-"
"Hey Charlie," Angel interjected. "Calm down. Why don't ya drink with us, get your mind off of things for a bit."
"I-"
"NO!"
Nifty suddenly appeared from behind the bar.
"Alastor said no Alcohol."
"What Smiles doesn't know won't hurt him."
"He told me to watch over her and make sure she doesn't drink, so that's what I'll do!"
"Hey Nifty," Angel pivoted with a sly smile, "I thought I saw some bugs."
Nifty's protective demeanor changed completely as her pupil narrowed.
"Where?" she asked with a growl.
"Top floor, think there might be a nest."
That set Nifty off as she rushed off the bar and charged up the steps, off to deal with the problem at hand. Cherri smiled at Angel and motioned for Husk to give Charlie something. The bartender obliged and slid a shot glass full of whiskey in front of Charlie. Charlie lifted her head from the bar top, the amber liquid sloshing around, threatening to spill if the glass wasn't emptied.
Slowly Charlie grabbed the glass and lifted it. She hesitated for a second, Alastor warned her not to drink. Yet he wasn't back yet, the nightmare was still fresh in her mind, and Charlie really wanted to forget. So without wasting another moment, Charlie lifted the glass to her mouth and drank the shot.
As evening approached, an uneasy feeling drew him back to the Hotel earlier than planned. Alastor picked up a bouquet for his dear princess on his way back, hoping it would make up for the absence. As he entered the building, the lobby was quiet save for laughter drifting from the bar. As he rounded the corner, he found Charlie perched on a barstool, with Angel and Cherri flanking her and Husk looking on in concern.
"And then," Charlie giggled, swaying slightly, "I told him I loved him!"
"Get it, girl!" Cherri cheered, pushing another drink toward her.
"About time someone said it," Angel added with a grin. "Our Radio Daddy needs to hear it more often."
"Kid, maybe you should slow down..."
"M'fine," came Charlie's slurred response. "Just one more."
"What exactly is going on here?" Alastor's voice cut through their laughter.
"Al!" Charlie spun on her barstool, nearly falling before Angel steadied her. "You're back! We're celebrating! All three of you should join in!"
"Celebrating what, precisely?"
"Being alive!" Charlie threw her arms up dramatically. "That's what everyone keeps saying, right? 'At least you're alive, Charlie!' 'She died to keep you alive, Charlie!' So fuck it, let's celebrate life!"
Angel and Cherri exchanged slightly guilty looks as Alastor's smile tightened dangerously.
"And you two thought encouraging this behavior was wise?" he questioned, the flowers in his hand going up in green flame.
"Hey, she needs to let loose," Cherri defended. "Better here with us than alone."
"Yeah, and maybe if she gets drunk enough, she'll finally jump your ass and-" Angel's words cut off in a yelp as static filled the air.
"Perhaps you two should leave," Alastor suggested, his voice layered with radio interference.
They didn't need to be told twice. As they retreated, Charlie called after them, "Thanks for the drinks! Love you guys!"
"And you!" Alastor turned to Husk. "Didn't you think it wise to stop them!"
"I tried but the princess was already too far gone at that point."
"Charlie," Alastor sighed, turning back to her. "What happened to rest? Didn't Nifty try and stop you?"
"Tried that. Didn't work. This is better." She reached for her glass but Alastor moved it away. "Hey! I wasn't done!"
"On the contrary, I think you've had plenty."
"You don't get to decide that," Charlie snapped, her mood shifting suddenly. "You don't get to... to just come in here and act all concerned when you left me alone all day!"
"I told you I had business to attend to."
"Everyone has business to attend to! Everyone leaves!" She stood up, stumbling into his chest. "But not you, right? You promised. You promised to stay."
"And I'm here, aren't I?"
Charlie looked up at him, her eyes unfocused but intense. "Yeah. You are." Before Alastor could react, she grabbed his bow tie and pulled him down into a clumsy kiss.
Alastor froze, completely unprepared for this development. Charlie pressed closer, one hand sliding into his hair as she deepened the kiss. For a moment, everything stopped - the static in his head, the constant background noise of Hell, all of it. For a second there he leaned into it, a voice in his head to telling him to kiss her back.
Then he tasted the alcohol on her breath, heard a cough from Husk, and reality crashed back in.
"Charlie," he said firmly, pulling away. "You're drunk."
"Don't care," she mumbled, trying to kiss him again. "Want you. Need you. Please, Al..."
"Let's get you to bed."
"Yes, let's," she purred, but her attempt at seduction was ruined by her stumbling as he led her toward the stairs. Alastor turned back to Husk and glared at him, the former overlord getting the hint to not say a word.
By the time they reached her room, Charlie had become more aggressive in her advances. She tried to kiss him again but Alastor held her back, gently guiding her into her room. As soon as the door closed, she pushed Alastor against it, her hands fumbling with his jacket buttons.
"Charlie, stop."
"No," she breathed against his neck. "I need this. Need you. Need to feel something besides pain. Please..."
Her hands wandered lower and Alastor caught them firmly. "Not like this."
"Why not?" she demanded, tears suddenly springing to her eyes. "Don't you want me? Am I not good enough? First Vaggie leaves me and now you won't even-"
"This isn't about want," Alastor cut her off. "You're drunk and in pain, my dear. I don't want you making decisions you'll regret."
"The only thing I regret is being alone!" Charlie tried to wrench her hands free but Alastor held firm. "Please, Al. I'll do anything. Just make me feel something else. Anything else."
The desperation in her voice made his chest ache. "My dear, if I took advantage of you in this state, I'd be no better than the demons I regularly dispose of."
Charlie's struggles gradually weakened as exhaustion and alcohol caught up with her. "I just want it to stop hurting," she whispered, slumping against him.
"I know." Alastor carefully guided her to the bed. "But this isn't the way."
"Stay?" she asked as he pulled the covers over her.
"Not tonight." He brushed her hair back from her face. "Sleep, my dear. We'll talk when you're sober."
"Everyone leaves," she mumbled, already drifting off. "Always leaves..."
Alastor waited until her breathing evened out and her eyes drifted close. The Radio Demon leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple before silently leaving the room. In the hallway, he leaned against the wall, his smile completely gone as he processed what had just happened. He needed to find a way to help her through this grief before she destroyed herself trying to escape it. The moment Charlie's door closed behind him, Alastor teleported himself to the bar. His sudden appearance startled Husk, who nearly dropped the glass he was cleaning.
"Jesus fucking Christ," Husk muttered. "Warn a guy next time."
Alastor said nothing, simply dropping onto a barstool and letting his head fall into his hands. His eternal smile had vanished completely.
"That bad, huh?" Husk asked, already pouring two drinks.
"I don't know what I'm doing anymore, old friend."
Husk slid one of the glasses toward him. "Wanna talk about it?"
"She tried to seduce me." Alastor's voice was barely above a whisper.
"No shit I watched the two you make out."
"I had to stop her. She was drunk, grieving... she wasn't thinking clearly."
"But?"
"But what?"
"There's always a 'but' when you look this fucked up over something." Husk leaned on the bar. "What's really eating at you?"
Alastor stared into his glass. "For a moment, when she kissed me... I wanted to let her, I wanted to kiss her back."
"Ah." Husk nodded sagely. "That's what's got you spooked."
"I'm not 'spooked,'" Alastor protested, but his static betrayed his unease. "I'm... concerned. This isn't like me. None of this is like me."
"Maybe that's not a bad thing."
"She told me she loves me. She was drunk when she said but it felt the same as if she said it sober."
"Yeah? And how does that make you feel?"
Alastor glared at him. "When did you become a therapist?"
"When you started needing one," Husk shot back. "Look, I've known you a long time. Never seen you care about anyone like you care about her. Even before all this shit went down."
"I don't know how to help her," Alastor admitted quietly. "Everything I try seems to make things worse."
"Maybe stop trying to help and just be honest with her. And yourself."
The temperature in the room shifted slightly as Lucifer appeared, though his presence lacked its usual intimidation.
"Mind if I join you gentlemen?" he asked, sliding onto a stool next to Alastor.
"Your Majesty-"
"Please," Lucifer waved off the formality, "I think we're well past titles at this point." He gestured to Husk for a drink. "How's Charlie?"
Alastor stiffened. "She's uh-"
"Drunk, I know." Lucifer's voice was strained. "I saw the two of you upstairs. Saw how careful you were with her." He accepted the drink Husk offered. "Thank you for that."
Alastor blinked, caught off guard by the gratitude. "I would never take advantage-"
"I know that." Lucifer sighed, suddenly looking every bit the tired father he was. "I thought you were like the rest of the overlords, trying to make a deal with her, taking advantage of someone who's got no one else to turn to. You proved me wrong, surprisingly, you've been good for her. These past weeks... I didn't know how to help my own daughter. But you've been there for her consistently."
"Not good enough," Alastor muttered. "She's still hurting."
"Of course she is. She lost the love of her life." Lucifer took a drink. "But she's not alone. Thanks to you."
Husk refilled all their glasses as a comfortable silence fell between them.
"I do have concerns," Lucifer admitted finally. "Not about your intentions - those are clearly honorable, surprisingly enough. But about her growing attachment to you."
"I've noticed it too," Alastor said quietly.
"I'm worried she's setting herself up for even more heartbreak." Lucifer continued. "I'd like to think you'll let her down easy."
Alastor tensed at this but let the king continue.
"Yet again you're putting up with her when others won't," he shrugged, "Perhaps it's necessary. For now, at least to allow her to become attached to you."
"What do you suggest?"
"Hell if I know." Lucifer laughed softly. "I'm making this up as I go along too. But I trust you'll continue to do right by her."
"Even after tonight?"
"Especially after tonight. I just hope she stops drinking soon." Lucifer raised his glass. "To Charlie?"
"To Charlie," Alastor and Husk echoed.